Indians have deal in place with 1B Kotchman

Baseball Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians reportedly have a one- year deal in place with free-agent first baseman Casey Kotchman.

The deal is worth $3 million plus incentives, according to MLB.com.

The Indians have not confirmed the signing, but an official announcement could come as early as Friday.

The 28-year-old Kotchman posted a .306 batting average with 10 homers and 48 RBI in 146 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last season.

That was a big improvement from his 2010 campaign with Seattle, where he hit .217 with nine home runs and 51 RBI.

In 791 career games with the Angels, Braves, Red Sox, Mariners and Rays, Kotchman has hit .268 with 59 homers and 332 RBI.

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If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

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"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.